Clare Daly stopped by gardaí on suspicion of drink driving

Independent TD Clare Daly has said she had a “hot whiskey” before being stopped by gardaí on suspicion of drink-driving after she performed an illegal turn on a road in Dublin last night.

The Dublin North deputy said she had been driving in an area of south Dublin she was unfamiliar with. She was pulled in by gardaí and breathalysed before being brought to Kilmainham garda station.

“I had been with family and been given a hot whiskey for a cold. If that brought me over the limit well then that’s obviously a very serious mistake on my part and one which I take full responsibility for,” Ms Daly told RTÉ.

She said she was a little surprised that information had been released without charges having been brought or confirmation obtained that she was over the limit.

Ms Daly played a prominent role in recent calls for a public inquiry into allegations of corruption in the removal of penalty points from drivers’ licences.

She left the Socialist Party last September primarily due to disputes over her close political relationship with Mick Wallace after it emerged the developer and Independent TD for Wexford had made false VAT returns.